Time to Start Thinking Buyback

If you’re like most college students, you think of end-of-term textbook buyback as a no-win time when you get screwed no matter when you sell your books and where. It seems like no one’s ever buying back that $200 biology text you bought when the semester started, or if they are, they’re paying a mere pittance of pennies on the dollar.

We can’t make it so that you make a profit on your books, but we can help you time your selling to the campus bookstore or outside buyers so that you maximize what you get back. We’ll have more tips as buyback approaches, but for now, we suggest starting here and building your strategies round these certainties and suggestions:

Grab the books you want to sell (don't forget any CDs or other components that came with the book when you purchased it), stack them so that the ISBNs are easy to read, and visit the CampusBooks.com selling tool ASAP. While the selling tool has always brought you the best buyback prices from all over the Web (including bookstores, individual buyers, and marketplaces) all on one page, we’ve recently added even more buyers. More buyers means more options, more competition for your books, higher values, and of course, less time you’ll spend hopping sites. Let us do the comparisons and find you the best prices.

Got an iPhone or a Droid? Grab the CampusBooks.com Mobile App for Smartphones and save yourself the hand-keying. Use our app and your phone’s camera to scan the barcodes on your textbooks and find the highest buyback values going. It’s insanely easy and totally on the go.

Reminders and best practices:

The keys to getting the best buyback prices are acting early and being an informed seller (finding the best values and reading the terms of the deal). You also need to follow through. When you find a good price for your books, go for it! Secure the quote and pack and ship your books ASAP. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get your money.

Take a gander at “Selling Back Books: A Few Simple Rules.” These rules and tips and reality checks will help you get through finals and buyback without losing your mind. Follow these guidelines and you will be well served to maximize your cash back and keep your sanity.

Now you’re armed with all the info you need to roll into buyback season well prepared and ready to maximize your return.